Page 37 of The Merger

A gentle breeze blows through the open window above my kitchen sink, carrying with it the sweet scent of gardenias from outside. The midafternoon sunlight is bright and happy; the sky is cloudless. It’s a perfect Wednesday afternoon to catch up on midweek chores and prepare for the weekend ahead.

“What do I do about Quinton?” Courtney asks. “I like him. I like him a lot, actually. But he’s such a giant pain in the ass.”

A grin tickles my lips.

I made a point to stay far away from the executive level today. Through the grapevine, I discovered that Gannon routinely has meetings on Wednesdays in the large conference room, so I avoided that area of the building, too. I even steered clear of the lunchroom just to be safe.

Despite my best effort not to encounter Gannon today, we did cross paths. I know he passed the break room while I was chatting with Amanda and working on a hanging ivy. I caught Gannon walking by out of the corner of my eye, pausing momentarily at the doorway. But I kept my gaze averted and refused to make eye contact—just pretended I didn’t see him. Still, I could feel the heat of his attention on me. It was almost as if he was daring me to look.

“Here’s the thing, Court. We’ve known Quinton Humphrey for what? Six years? And he’s been the same guy the entire time.” I lift two cans of crushed tomatoes from a paper bag.Why did I get two cans? “That tells me he’s not going to change.”

I put both cans in the pantry.

“I know,” she says. “But it’s such a waste. If he’d just get a little better at communication and show up when he says he will, he could be so great. He has so much potential.”

“Is he coming to your party on Friday?”

“He says he is. But can you really believe anything that comes out of that man’s mouth?”

“Invite Rick from your work,” I say, folding the paper bags and putting them away. Then I turn to the small crate of succulents the grocery had on discount. “If Quinton doesn’t show up, then you have a backup plan. And if he does, then it won’t hurt him to see someone else hitting on you.”

Courtney hums in thought. “It’s not a bad idea. But if they’re both there, they’ll both want my attention, and I just don’t know if I have the energy for that.”

“Oh, come on,” I say, laughing. “Don’t act like you don’t love the idea of a Why Choose situation.”

“Fair.” She laughs, too. “But I don’t think they’re into that type of a situation, which only makes it worse for me.”

I take my five new plant babies and place them in the infirmary, which happens to be the windowsill overlooking the side yard. Someone told me a few months ago that if grocery stores get a load of small plants to sell and they don’t move, they wind up throwing them away.To die. My heart can’t take it. I now buy every bedraggled-looking piece of vegetation to save it from an untimely demise.

“So where did you work today?” she asks. “I thought you had Wednesdays off now.”

“Oh, I did have Wednesdays off but not anymore. I found another client.”

“That’s great, Carys!”

I bite my bottom lip to keep from giggling. “You will never guess who I’m working for now.”

“Then just tell me.”

“It’s not a big deal.” I pause for dramatic flair. “Just Gannon Brewer.”

“Shut up.”

I laugh, leaning against the countertop.

“Shut. Up,” she says again. “You’re lying to me.”

“I’m not.”

“What?How? When did this happen, and why haven’t you told me?”

“I was in Tate’s office the other day, and it’s a long story. Basically, I spilled my latte all over Gannon and begged him to hire me. And then he invited me to breakfast?—”

“What?”

“So I met him at Tapo’s for a business meeting.”

“When?Oh my God, Carys! You’ve been holding out on me. You’ve been having a rendezvous with arguably the hottest man in the universe, and you didn’t tell me?”